Chapter 404: Parasite

The entire council hall fell into a deathly silence. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the young couple. Eventually, every gaze fell on their joined hands.

The Tan family's celestial beauty, holding hands with an outsider from a small town? Unforgivable. This was blasphemy. A desecration.

"Ahhh, you're asking for death!" A powerful elder from the Tan family couldn't hold back any longer. He leapt into the air with a sharp roar, his long blade like a streak of lightning as he slashed at Li Xiaofei’s wrist.

Anyone who dared hold Tan Qingying’s hand would have to pay the price in blood.

"Impudent!" Tan Qingying’s stunning face turned cold and fierce in an instant.

She flicked her hand and an invisible, overwhelming force surged forth, sending the elder flying back into the air.

"Tan Wangsong, what are you doing?" Tan Qingying’s voice was as sharp as a blade.

"Tan Qingying, what are you doing?" The elder, Tan Wangsong, landed and glared fiercely. He sneered, "Are you really going to flirt openly with some bastard in front of everyone? Do you want to embarrass the Tan family even more?"

"What did you say?" Tan Qingying’s beautiful eyes instantly filled with murderous intent.

"You little bastard, let go!" Tan Wangsong brandished his blade, marching forward with heavy steps. The tip of his sword pointed directly at Li Xiaofei as he declared, "Today, I will kill this bastard and cleanse the Tan family's honor."

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Seeking death." Tan Qingying moved in a flash.

Her delicate hand struck lightning-fast as it landed directly on Tan Wangsong’s head.

Bang!

"You dare kill me...?" Tan Wangsong staggered, his face filled with disbelief, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. He collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

A wave of shocked gasps echoed through the hall. The others were paralyzed in horror, their faces pale with fear. No one had expected Tan Qingying to be so terrifying after coming out of seclusion.

What was even more surprising was that she had actually dared to kill an elder without hesitation. Tan Qingying’s killing intent remained palpable as she slowly moved forward. The elders of the family, suffocated by her pressure, instinctively parted to create a path for her.

Tan Qingying never let go of Li Xiaofei’s hand as she made her way up to the head table. Several of the family elders rose, their faces filled with reproach.

Just as they were about to speak, they were silenced by the icy gaze Tan Qingying threw at them. Their mouths clapped shut.

Tan Qingying stood there, a vision of grace and majesty, like a fairy stepping out of a painting. Her piercing, bone-chilling gaze finally landed on Tan Shengwei, the acting head of the family. He slowly stood up.

"Little Ying, you..."

"You should address me as the head of the family." Tan Qingying interrupted mercilessly.

Tan Shengwei furrowed his brow slightly. "You haven't yet held the formal ceremony to assume the role of family head..."

Tan Qingying cut him off again, her voice cold and firm. "It's just a meaningless formality that can be done at any time. Now that I've come out of seclusion, your mission is over... You, step down."

A flash of shock crossed Tan Shengwei's face. He hadn't expected that the girl from the small town, after coming out of seclusion, would suddenly be so aggressive, domineering, and forceful. It caught him off guard.

"What? Are you going to betray the late family head's will?" Tan Qingying's eyes were sharp as daggers as she pressed.

"I would never betray the late family head's wishes," Tan Shengwei replied, his tone shifting slightly.

Suddenly, he smiled, bowed, and began walking down from the stage. When he reached the floor, Tan Shengwei stood firm, his back straight. The crowd gathered around him.

Over the past six months, as the acting head of the family, he had already built a network of loyal supporters, promoting and placing his trusted people throughout the Tan family's ranks. Now, the majority of the family’s middle and upper management were all his. This was his confidence.

Tan Shengwei lifted his head and looked at the strong, cold figure of Tan Qingying standing above him. He slowly spoke, his voice calm but laced with underlying tension, "As the heir to the family head, don’t you think you owe us an explanation for what happened with Elder Tan Wangsong? How you killed him on a whim?"

Tan Qingying’s response was measured and indifferent. "I have no obligation to explain myself to you."

"Little Ying, you've gone too far." Tan Shengwei frowned, his tone becoming stern. "As the heir to the family head, you should respect every member of the Tan family. Your duty is to protect the family, not to use your position and status to persecute your own people."

"That's right! How could you just kill someone without reason?"

"Although the family laws allow it within legal boundaries, killing at will is hardly acceptable!"

"This little girl, she hasn't even taken the title of family head yet, but she's already flaunting her power."

"Shengwei, the acting head, has worked tirelessly for the Tan family, safeguarding our family’s prestige and barely holding everything together. But you hid away in seclusion and claimed to be meditating while contributing nothing to the family..."

Tan Shengwei’s supporters seized the opportunity, subtly stirring up the crowd and fueling the tension.

Tan Qingying suddenly let out a soft, almost imperceptible laugh.

"Good, so much effort, so much sacrifice..." Tan Qingying laughed coldly. "In the past six months, Tan family has lost 90 percent of its profitable assets in the core commercial district of Xiajing City as well as two out of three major mines. The sales channels for star cores have dropped to less than 45 percent of what they were half a year ago, and we’ve also lost the sales rights for the top domestic power armor brands: Wind Dragon, Yellow Emperor, and Sticky Feather, not to mention the termination of our cooperation with Longya Group... Is this what you call sacrificing everything for the family?"

Tan Qingying rattled off dozens of figures, each one carrying a tone of mockery, challenging them directly. The once noisy crowd fell silent. They all knew she was speaking the truth. The Tan family’s influence and wealth had shrunk drastically over the past six months.

"Head of the family, you can't blame Shengwei for everything." The Fourth Grandfather, with his head of white hair, spoke up. "Since the old family head passed away, we’ve lost the support of our former allies, and we’ve been targeted by all the major families. It’s been hard just to hold on."

"Yes, Shengwei has done a lot in these times and borne a great deal of pressure," added the Second Grandmother, leaning on her cane.

They were both among the oldest and most respected members of the family. Normally, even the family head would have to treat their words with deference.

But Tan Qingying only looked at them indifferently and said, "You two are getting old. Go home and enjoy your retirement. There’s no need for you to meddle in the family's affairs any longer."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Little girl, how dare you disrespect your elders?"

The two of them flushed with anger. It was clear to them that this statement was an attempt to completely push them out of the family’s power structure.

"You don’t understand, do you?" Tan Qingying’s voice was cold and straightforward. "What I mean is simple—you’re both old and confused, so stop talking nonsense here. Go back and live your old age in peace."

"You... insolent!" Uncle Six, a bald and fiery-tempered man, slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "Tan Qingying, have you been bewitched by this foreign wild boy? How dare you openly insult your elders like this? Don’t forget, you’re not even the official head of the family yet, and even if you were, acting like this demands an apology!"

The younger generation of the Tan family had lost most of its talents over the years. The brightest of them, Tan Zhenwei, had already fallen. Now, only Tan Shengwei and Uncle Six remained among the middle generation. Uncle Six was known for his bad temper and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.

Tan Qingying looked down at them, her voice unyielding as she spoke slowly, "The Tan family today is nothing but a rotting corpse, and you are all parasites feeding off it. Do you think I care about this so-called position of family head?"